Comments on: Memorial Day 2008

By: Lisa Bloodgood in Portland

Lisa Bloodgood in Portland — Thu, 29 May 2008 23:54:05 +0000

P.S. I can see how it could be horrible for those with such sensitive skin, seeing as how the rest of us still have issues. And V.S.’s undies aren’t perfect; I was just pointing out the comparison. Ugh.

By: Teresia Adams-Sinclair

Teresia Adams-Sinclair — Thu, 29 May 2008 23:46:12 +0000

Oh…my pet peeve of life poor construction of children’s clothes. I have 4 children, 3 with Autism/Asperger’s, I look for clothes they can wear comfortably. I became so frustrated I decided to start my own business. I should have everything to a point of being able to sell in August.

In my designs, I have made the clothing to harbor independence for kids. Can you imagine potty training a severely disabled high school student? I have and can tell you sweat pants are NOT appropriate.

Then there is the underwear issue for kids. Tons of lumpy seams and then a girls size 4 panty has the same crotch width as a woman’s size 7! Potty training with that is a nightmare!

This is my first post comment. My weekend was crazy of course at home being a single mom. (My husband was away on business.) My kids found an 8 inch Banana Slug and came in screaming. It was pretty gross, but that is the Pacific Northwest for you.

By: Lisa Bloodgood in Portland

Lisa Bloodgood in Portland — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:23:17 +0000

I, too, HATE it when that line goes across the bust! It is so ugly–it makes an otherwise cute or cool garment ugly.

I never sew the ruffle on and sew the hems before sewing the other seams. It does look tacky and you can see the seam sticking out. The time I bought panties that weren’t Victoria’s Secret, to save some money, I put the unused pairs in the homeless donations bin because the seams were all just standard overlocked seams. They were annoying and stuff like that doesn’t usually annoy me. Victoria’s secret panties use that flat overlocked seam on their cotton panties and I think their synthetic ones are seamless. So kudos to them at least for that. The elastic on some is exposed but it has this soft stuff on the inside.

I love that onesie!

For the actual holiday, we stayed home, but Sunday we had lunch with my hubby’s parents at their house. We were going to go to Oaks Park (with rides) but the weather wasn’t cooperative.

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:46:32 +0000

Not to point out the obvious, but Lands’ End has the return policy of “guaranteed. period.” – meaning you don’t need a good reason (or any reason) to return something, and there isn’t a time limit on returns either. That’s part of the reason I like them so much.

As for the young woman with the dress, my guess as to why she bought it was that she saw that it was flattering even with that mistake in construction. I’ve given up looking at those types of tops because they never fit me correctly – they all have that exact problem. But I’m very aware of it, because not only does it look wrong, it’s uncomfortable! Dresses are especially bad, because when the hips are big enough for me, often that line will slip over my bust point entirely. It’s part of the reason I want to learn to make my own clothes.

By: Michele

Michele — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:40:07 +0000

GREAT article! I was especially interested in the proper ruffle/hem/sideseam application as I handsew a childs’ pant that has the option of a ruffle around the leg, and I am constantly struggling with finding the most high-quality way to do this.

Oh, and Sarah, MY children’s clothing line has 100% elastic waists! Take a peek!

By: Deanna

Deanna — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:57:37 +0000

I wear my running pants inside out too. Otherwise the inseam rubs me raw in 10 min. (Sadly I was the one who made them) I think I would make a flat felled seam on the inside for comfort. For now, inside out is fine. At 6am if anyone sees me, they will be looking at my bedhead and don’t notice my pants!
I have noticed some brands use a coverstitch for the leg seams. I wonder if the thread still causes abrasion even though the seam is flat? Anyone tried these?

By: Nanette

Nanette — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:00:56 +0000

I like the comments about the seams on children’s clothing and how it affects those with autism. I volunteer for an all inclusive league and we have a couple of children with autism that attend. I remember one child who kept pulling at his waistband. It was probably due to something like you mentioned.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:27:55 +0000

My pet peeve is those plastic tags (listing fabric content, laundry instructions, and/or country of origin) sew into the lower side seams of tee-shirts. I cut them off, but some of the plastic remains sewn into the seam allowance, perpetually jabbing me in the side when I wear the tee.

By: NoahL

NoahL — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:58:39 +0000

I sewed samples for my denim collection’s photo-shoot! And actually just sent off my patterns for correcting! now the easy part is over. Oh and about the part where you mention how uncomfortable thread can be. I had someone make a shirt for me , copied from one I got from a thrift store. I supplied the thread and some reason it just felt awful so painful! UG i know what you mean. I can imagine how awful it is , i would rather wear nothing than clothes that was painful!

By: mikawendy

mikawendy — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:23:46 +0000

Thank you for posting those pictures of the young woman’s dress with the design flaw. I’ve noticed that a lot in retail clothing, especially at “big box” stores. Often the color(s) and price, and sometimes the fabric, will be fabulous, only the garment is not designed well and/or has construction flaws.

I’ve seen a lot of empire waist tunics and blouses these days with gathers below the bust seam, on either side of center front. It looks ridiculous because it makes the front of the blouse pooch out in an unflattering way–and this is in regular misses/women’s wear, not maternity. In one case, the offending blouses were sold at a big box store as part of a designer’s ready to wear line. No thanks!